Jorge Lorenzo tightened his grip on the MotoGP championship lead when the Spanish Yamaha rider came out on top in a battle with compatriot Dani Pedrosa to win the Catalunya Grand Prix on Sunday.
Under dark skies and with spots of rain falling on the Montmelo track, Lorenzo snatched the lead with just under six laps left and pulled away from Honda’s Pedrosa to secure his third victory in five races this season.
Italian Andrea Dovizioso was third on his Yamaha, with Pedrosa’s Honda team mate and reigning champion Casey Stoner of Australia fourth and Britain’s Cal Crutchlow, another Yamaha rider, fifth.
Lorenzo has 115 points after five of 18 races, with Stoner on 95 and Pedrosa on 85.
1. Jorge Lorenzo Yamaha 43m07.681s 2. Dani Pedrosa Honda + 5.003s 3. Andrea Dovizioso Tech 3 Yamaha + 9.361s 4. Casey Stoner Honda + 9.544s 5. Cal Crutchlow Tech 3 Yamaha + 12.506s 6. Alvaro Bautista Gresini Honda + 13.948s 7. Valentino Rossi Ducati + 17.555s 8. Stefan Bradl LCR Honda + 23.478s 9. Nicky Hayden Ducati + 30.410s 10. Ben Spies Yamaha + 32.897s 11. Hector Barbera Pramac Ducati + 36.144s 12. Karel Abraham Cardion Ducati + 56.229s 13. Aleix Espargaro Aspar Aprilia + 1m08.054s 14. Michele Pirro Gresini FTR-Honda + 1m08.775s 15. Randy de Puniet Aspar Aprilia + 1m10.483s 16. James Ellison Paul Bird Aprilia + 1m13.090s 17. Mattia Pasini Speed Master Aprilia + 1m20.903s 18. Yonny Hernandez Avintia FTR-Kawasaki + 1m21.235s 19. Danilo Petrucci Ioda-Aprilia + 1m41.207s 20. Ivan Silva Avintia Inmotec-Kawasaki + 1m41.888s
– Reuters